From Langhe to Valpolicella and Tuscany, the “marathon” of the “Previews” of Italian wine started

Starting from Turin, with “Grandi Langhe e il Piemonte del vino”, a collective narrative of the region wine excellence, arisen from an initiative of the Consorzio del Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe e Dogliani and the Consorzio del Roero with the Consorzio Piemonte Land of Wine, which concluded today at the OGR - Officine Grandi Riparazioni with over 500 wineries (for industry professionals), the long marathon of Italian wine-territory events continues. With the “Previews” of the new vintages linked to the most beautiful and historic places of each area, this first part of 2026 will, as tradition dictates, move on to Veneto and Tuscany.
In Verona, on January 31st and February 1st, at the Gallerie Mercatali by Veronafiere, the edition No. 22 of “Amarone Opera Prima”, an event organized by the Consorzio Vini Valpolicella headed by Christian Marchesini, will take center stage. It is dedicated to the most prestigious wine of the area, set against the backdrop of the city of Verona, which will host the closing ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026 and the opening of the Paralympics: it will be a unique opportunity to discover and taste, in preview, the 2021 vintage of Valpolicella great red wine, along with a selected vintage from each producer, accompanied by delicious gastronomic offerings inspired by local tradition. On January 31st, at the Auditorium of the Verona Chamber of Commerce, the presentation of the vintage will be accompanied by “Amarone da podio con la Cucina italiana e le Olimpiadi” - “Podium-worthy Amarone with Italian Cuisine and the Olympics”, a talk featuring Maddalena Fossati, director of the historic magazine “La Cucina Italiana” - “Italian Vuisine”, creator of the Unesco nomination for Italian Cooking and president of the Promoting Committee; Deborah Compagnoni, sports legend and ambassador of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics, and Cristina Bowerman, chef of Glass Hostaria in Rome, one Michelin star. This will be followed by the opening of the tasting stations at the Gallerie Mercatali for “Amarone lovers” (continuing on February 1st until the final closing party). Meanwhile, the area is also experiencing a sort of “prologue” with selections underway for the 22 candidates from 12 countries, led by the United States, Brazil, and Canada, competing for the title of “specialist” in the 2026 Valpolicella Education Program (Vep), scheduled from today until January 28th in the territory of the denomination. The “Valpolicella Education Program” includes an intensive training course with lectures, winery visits (in this edition: Cantina Valpolicella Negrar, Albino Armani, Collina dei Ciliegi, Grotta del Ninfeo, Massimago, and Roccolo Grassi), study sessions and masterclasses, concluding with a written exam and blind tasting, and, which, until today, has certified 75 “Valpolicella Wine Specialists” in 27 countries, from China to Canada, from the United States to Singapore, from Vietnam to Australia, and even Kazakhstan, Russia, and EU countries, along with 906 “Valpolicella Scholars” and 200 “Valpolicella Explorers” who contribute to an international community dedicated to spreading Valpolicella identity to consumers and professionals in their respective markets. The “Valpolicella Education Program” has become one of the most important strategic tools for the international growth of the denomination, now present in 87 countries around the world with an export share of 60%. In this context, training plays a central role: investing in specialized and qualified profiles means strengthening the identity of our wines in global markets and, above all, attracting new consumers”, explains Christian Marchesini, president of the Consorzio Vini Valpolicella.
From Veneto, the journey continues to the Grand Duchy for the 2026 “Anteprime di Toscana”, the “Tuscany Wine Week,” presenting the new vintages of the region main denominations. Promoted by the Tuscany Region in collaboration with the Consortia, the event will run from February 13th to 20th and will feature PrimAnteprima (opening of the Tuscan Previews week, in Florence, February 13th), Anteprima Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Fortezza di Montepulciano, February 13th - 15th, and February 22nd - 23rd for wine lovers), Chianti Classico Collection (Stazione Leopolda, Florence, February 16th - 17th, with public access on February 17th), Anteprima “L’Altra Toscana” (Palazzo degli Affari, Florence, February 18th) - in its edition No. 5, presenting to media and professionals a lesser-known yet increasingly significant part of Tuscany wine landscape, with 8 consortia representing 12 PDO and PGI denominations (Bianco di Pitigliano and Sovana, Chianti Rufina, Maremma Toscana, Montecucco and Montecucco Sangiovese, Orcia, Suvereto, Rosso della Val di Cornia and Val di Cornia, Terre di Casole, Vino Toscana) and the “L’Altra Toscana” Association headed by Francesco Mazzei (with organizational support from the Scaramuzzi Team)  - Chianti Lovers & Rosso Morellino (Fortezza da Basso, Florence, February 19th, for the media), and, in the end Valdarno di Sopra Day (Il Borro-Ferragamo, San Giustino Valdarno, February 20th, media only).
This is only the first round in the Piedmont-Veneto-Tuscany trio of regional events which, as has long been the case, and increasingly more, punctuate the Italian wine-tasting and storytelling calendar.